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O. W. MILLS.

GAR COUPLING.

- No. 336,422. Patented Feb. 16, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAUNQEY W. MILLS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,422, dated February 16,1886.

Application filed June 4, 1885.

To It whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OHAUNOEY W. thus, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improx ements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplings in which the draw-head is slotted and provided with a pivoted hook for engagement with the coupling-link; and the invention consists in certain peculiarities in the form of the draw-head and pivoted coupling-hook, and in the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, whereby the said hook, after having been raised in the act of uncoupling, is always returned to a horizontal position in season to automatically engage the entering link when the cars are to be again coupled, the engagement of said hook and link being such that they are not liable to become disconnected by the jolting motion of the cars over an uneven roadway, as is often the case with couplings heretofore in use.

In the annexed drawings,illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a carcoupling embodying my improvements. Fig. 2is a sectional plan view of the draw-head with hook and link. Fig. 3 is an end view of a car provided with my improved means for operating the coupling-hook, and Fig. e is a side "iew of my improved coup ling-hook.

The draw-head A is supported beneath the end of the car Bin any suitable or well-known manner, and is provided at its rear end with an ordinary buffer-spring, C, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the forward end of the draw-head A, and communicating with its flaring mouth, is a vertical longitudinal slot, a, for the passage of a coupling-hook, D, that is pivoted in a re- ,cess, b, which forms a downward continuation of the rear end of said slot. The walls of the draw-head mouth, beneath the forward end of the slot at and in front of the recess b, are contracted or converged, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to form a guard, 0, that will prevent the link E fromdriving up against the body of the hook D under the jolting and jerking motion of the cars. In the lower wall of the draw-head mouth is a triangular recess or Serial No. 167,62 (No model notch, (Z, to receive the point of the couplingback against the beam F, the bumping contact of the draw-heads and their rearward yielding movement beneath the cars and attached beam F will cause said beam to force the coupling-hook down into a horizontalposition within the draw-head in season to auto matically engage the entering link that is already engaged in the opposite draw head. This beam or bar F also serves to prevent the hook D from being jolted out of engagement with the link when the cars are suddenly thrown or compressed together in running over sags or depressions in the road. The coupling-hook D is mounted within the slot a and recess 1) upon a pivot-pin, e, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The body or pivotal portion of this hook is enlarged, as shown in Figs. 1. and 4, and its hook end is provided internally with two straight edges, f and 9, that form an angle of about forty-five degrees with each other. In the normal or horizontal position of the hook within the draw-head the edge or face f is vertical and affords a direct bearing for the draft of the link, while the inward inclined edge or face, 9, dips beneath the link end, and holds the parts from disengagement by jolting or frictional movement.

Itisavery common difficulty in car-couplings of ordinary construction for the pin or hook to be gradually lifted and disengaged by the frictional movement of the link,especia1ly when the opposite draw-heads are of unequal height, the link in such cases while pulling on the draw-head of the lower car havinga tendency to lift the pin or book therein more and more until it finally becomes disconnected. This difficulty is entirely overcome by the arrangement of the faces or edges f and g, and the angle formed thereby, for by this construction the link cannot geta lifting hold after reaching the angle formed by the junction of these faces, but will work the hook down instead of upward. Another advantage of this construction is that the vertical face or edge f will al ways afford a direct bearing for the link. It

will be observed that the outer edge of the hook end is curved sharply inward at the point h which rests in the notch or recess (1 for the draw-head, so that the entering link by pressing against and beneath said curved edge *of the hook will cause said hook to rise until the link end passes beneath and is automatically engaged.

In uncoupling,the hook D can be raised from [O the top or sides of the car by any suitable system of levers and connections so arranged as to obviate any necessity of passing betwen the cars; but'I prefer the arrangement of devices shown in Fig. 3, in which G designates a three- 1 armed bellcrank lever that is pivoted to the end of the car and provided with connecting chains or cords through which the hook D can be raised. The three-armed bell-crank G is so balanced that in its normal position one arm will be vertical while the other two diverge downward toward the opposite lower corners of the ear. To the upper end of the vertical arm of this lever are connected the chains or cords k k, the outer ends of which are confined by loops m m at the opposite sides of the car.

These chains are sufficiently slack to enable one to be drawn upon Without interference therewith by the other. The lower arms of the bell crank are provided with chains or 0 cords uu,tl1at connect with a cord or chain, 12,

which is attached to an eye, t, on the coupling-hook. Another chain or cord, 12, extends from the junction of the chains 24 u and p to the top of the car. 7 It will thus be seen that the cars can be uncoupled from either side of 5 the car through the bell-crank G and chains 70 u p, or from the top of the car by means of the chains 11 and p without exposure to accident in either case.

What I claim is- 1. I11 a car-coupling, the combination of a slotted and recessed draw-head the mouth of which is contracted beneath the forward end of the slot and in front of the recess to form a guard,c,a coupling-hook pivoted in said drawhead with its pivotal end at the rear of said guard, and provided at its outer end with an externally-curved hook having straight inner faces, f g, and a slotted link for engaging said hook, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having a longitudinal slot, a, and recesses 12 0?, said draw-head being contracted beneath the slot and between the recesses b d to form a guard, c, the coupling-hook D, pivoted in said draw-head behind the guard c, and provided with a hooked end having a curved outer surface, point h, and straight inner faces, fg, and a coupling-link, E, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

OHAUNOEY W. MILLS.

\Vitnesses:

WM. H. FARRAND, WM. E. CRAIB. 

